1
Before you build
- Define the owner: who maintains it, who gets alerted, and who approves changes.
- Document inputs, outputs, and what happens when things go wrong.
- Check whether the automation actually saves time or just moves the burden.
2
During build
- Handle retries safely: ensure actions are idempotent so failures don't cause duplicates.
- Use secrets management for credentials and tokens; never hardcode sensitive values.
- Build in logging and observability so you can see what ran, when, and whether it succeeded.
3
After launch
- Monitor for silent failures: set up alerts for missing runs, not just errors.
- Review automations quarterly: remove ones that are noisy, broken, or no longer relevant.
- Keep documentation current: update the runbook whenever the automation changes.